After a quick name change, Orion Pictures has set a premiere date for the supernatural horror-thriller “The Prodigy”. The film was going by the title “Descendant,” but will launch under the new name on February 8, 2019. The premiere date was announced today by John Hegeman, President of Orion Pictures. February is a popular month for thrillers, this year “The Prodigy” will battle “Escape Room” with Deborah Ann Woll and Tyler Labine; a possible “Jacob’s Ladder” remake; Universal’s “The Turning” film; and non-thriller hits like “The LEGO Movie 2” and the superhero film “Dark Phoenix”. The winter months are still a little far off at this point, so we will have to wait and see what other films end up battling “The Prodigy” on opening weekend.

As for the film itself, the story follows a mother concerned about her young son’s disturbing behavior. After strange events, the mother starts to believe that something supernatural may be affecting him. The film stars Golden Globe and Emmy nominee Taylor Schilling (Orange Is the New Black) and breakout star Jackson Robert Scott (It, AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead). The duo will be joined by Peter Mooney (Burden of Truth, Rookie Blue), Colm Feore (Thor, Pearl Harbor), and Brittany Allen (Jigsaw, It Stains the Sands Red).

The production is eyeing a March start in Toronto with Nicholas McCarthy at the helm.

Taylor Schilling is set to topline the thriller Descendant for MGM’s Orion Pictures.The feature tells the story of a young mother who, concerned about her 8-year-old son’s disturbing behavior, thinks something supernatural may be affecting him. Nicholas McCarthy will direct from a screenplay by Jeff Buhler.Tripp Vinson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) will produce Descendant, which is expected to begin production in March in Toronto. Daniel Bekerman, Lisa Zambri, Nick Spicer and Jeff Buhler will serve as executive producers.

In 2017, MGM relaunched Orion as a stand-alone U.S. theatrical marketing and distribution company, headed by John Hegeman. The first feature set for release under the reinstated label will be MGM’s adaptation of Michael Sucsy’s YA romance Every Day, which stars Angourie Rice and Justice Smith and will hit theaters Feb. 23. Last month, Orion made its first acquisition with Anna and the Apocalypse.

“Descendant is a unique and terrifying addition to the horror genre and we are looking forward to working with Nicholas, Tripp and Taylor in bringing Jeff’s script to life,” Hegeman said in a statement.

Schilling has received Golden Globe and Emmy nominations for her work on the Netflix series Orange Is the New Black, which will have its season six premiere this summer.She also co-stars in the upcoming sci-fi drama The Titan, alongside Sam Worthington and Tom Wilkinson, and Emilio Estevez’s The Public, with Gabrielle Union and Jena Malone.

Schilling is repped by The Gersh Agency and 3 Arts Entertainment. McCarthy, who directed the horror-thriller The Pact, is repped by CAA and Plattform.